An electroceramic component includes electrically conductive contact bodies on a ceramic base body surface, which are used for making electrical contacts and which, among other things, enable SMD (surface mounted device) mounting. These electrically conductive contact bodies, or terminations, are usually comprised of a material that is different from that of the ceramic base body. As a result, problems arise with adhering the contact bodies to the base body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,309 describes a ceramic NTC component in which a ceramic base body is fabricated using multilayer technology and is comprised of ceramic layers with internal electrodes arranged in these layers. These internal electrodes each contact an outer contact body and form an electrode terminal. Furthermore, an outer passivation layer, e.g., glass, can be applied on a surface of the component. With this technology, it is possible to obtain different electrical resistances by varying the arrangement of the internal electrodes for components with a same component standard.
DE 10159451 A1 describes an NTC component with a base body, which is comprised of at least first and second spatially formed ceramic area parts made from different NTC materials. At least one first and one second contact layer are on a surface of the base body. It is possible to fabricate NTC components with different electrical characteristics by varying both the arrangement and the relative portions of the two ceramic area parts in the base body, and also by varying material combinations without changing the dimensions of the base body.
DE 4207915 describes that a resistance value of a thermistor element can be changed by varying a distance between ends of its internal electrodes. In this way, it is possible to avoid production of low-resistance NTC components that are particularly thin, and therefore susceptible to damage through fractures or cracks.